this was an emotional trial not just for the family of ahmaud arbery but for the millions of people aroundrvive. so trying to take that shotgun pointed at him and trying to disarm the mcmichaels from killing him, that's when he was shot and killed. we saw that viral video. this is when the case really took off and so many people started weighing in on what should happen. bianna, the jury saw this exactly the way the prosecution did. exactly the way that ahmaud arbery's family saw it and we know that tomorrow is the two year mark of his death. the day that he was murdered, not far from here. bianna? >> a grim anniversary, of course. and i want to go back to bernarda and talk about that question that i raised earlier about the symbolism that this verdict means because obviously these men had been facing decades if not life behind bars anyway, but what kind of message, what kind of precedent, in fact, does this send now? >> so this is a completely different case and a completely different message that's being sent to the country. this federal trial forced americans and forced those jurors in

february 19th, 2020, just four days before ahmaud arbery was murdered. quote, yeah she has her n-word now. i have been calling that for a while now. not surprised. casual racism. ahmaud arbery's family didn't want a plea deal for his killers in the hate-crime trial. and with all that, you can certainly understand why. >> what i thought all along was -- was true. that travis killed ahmaud, not because ahmaud committed a crime, it's because amaraud was black and travis was truly a racist. >> it is just really a shame they got that much hate in them for african-american people. it just really a shame. >> man, that that's a sickness. >> strong words from ahmaud arbery's family. those words in that courtroom today are a sickness. they are like poison. how did those words land when you hear them? for people who look like me, it's like the words are slapping you in the face. the hate, the race iism, right? again, it's so offensive because as i was saying to laura earlier, when you hear people -- they don't want to teach about racism in school. they don't want p

ahmaud arbery's family didn't want a plead for his killers in the hate crime trial. and with all the, you can certainly understand why. >> what i thought all along was true , that travis killed ahmaud not because of ahmaud committed a crime, it's because he was black and because travis was truly a racist. >> it's just really a shame that they got that much hate in them out there for people. it's just really a shame. >> man, that's a sickness. >> strong words from ahmaud arbery's family. those words in that courtroom today are a sickness. they're like poison. how did those words land when you hear them? for people like me, it's like the words are slapping you in the face. the hate, the racism, right? again, it's so offensive be because, as i was saying to laura earlier, people don't want to teach about racism in school. they don't want to hear the full thing. imagine how offensive it is for black kids in school to learn about slavery, but the idea is so white kids won't feel offended or feel bad when they hear it. that's not what people call you in public. people actua

defendants were convicted of committing federal hate crimes in the connection of the murder of ahmaud arbery. right 23rd, 2020, mr. arbery was targeted, chased, shot and killed while running on a public street. today, a jury of the defendants peers unanimously found yonder a reasonable doubt that the defendants acted because mr. arbery was black. the defendants actions and the racism that fueled them have inflicted enduring trauma on mr. arbery's family, his friends, his community, and communities across the country. my heart goes out to his parents, miss wanda cooper-jones, and mr. marcus arbery senior for the unimaginable hurt they have endured. upon its founding after the civil war during reconstruction, the justice department was tasked with bringing to justice those who used terror and violence to prevent black americans from exercising their civil rights. the white supremacists who carried out those acts assumed that they could operate outside the bounds of the law. modern federal hate crime laws have enhanced the justice department's authority to prosecute violent acts motivated by bi

trial again for the murder of ahmaud arbery. they were found guilty of murdering the jogger back in november, but this week they are facing federal hate crimes charges. ahmaud arbery's murder along with the killing of george floyd and breonna taylor, advocates demand justice, and this is the first time race is taking stage in a trial over their deaths. prosecutors introduced more than two dozen posts. i have to warn you, the messages read like a dictionary of racist slurs and promote violence against black people. the judge warned the courtroom valley that many could find the language morally repugnant, and one juror asked the judge if there were federal funds for counseling given the nature of what the juror heard. if you need to skip this part or leave the room for a bit, this is the time to do that. okay, the bulk of the communications were from travis mcmichael, the man that fight annually shot arbery. in 2019 using the n-word, he said he liked his job because he did not work with black people. quote, they ruin everything, t

and the defense said we've said racist things in the past but not about ahmaud arbery. ndants claim that they killed mr. arbery in self-defense, not because he was black. but, ali, in the end, the jury found enough connection between the defendants' racism in their pursuit and killing of mr. arbery. >> given how many times you and i have had this conversation over the year, paul, what difference does it make? what does it change now on the record that there's accountability for the racism of it? because we've described things like in the last few years as lynching, old-fashioned lynching. there was no right afforded to the person who was murdered. what does this do other than satisfy people that it feels right? >> so, this conviction certainly does not make up for the hundreds of cases in which black people have been lynched and their killers never brought to justice. but it does signal that the united states, and the south are different places than mississippi in the 1950s, where emmett till was mentioned that his killers were never convicted. the fact that the majority

they have to prove this racial animus was the reason that they chased and killed ahmaud arbery.d of evidence that's been presented it's not going to be a big leap for them to conclude that it was their hatred for african americans that caused them to engage in this conduct that resulted in the death of ahmaud arbery. i don't think the prosecution is going to have a difficult time in making this case. >> interesting. like you said one of the jurors is asking the judge in the court if the judge is going to provide counseling services today. they will. if you're the defense -- if you're the defense attorney in this case, what are you making of this counseling request? that cannot be good if you have -- and i want to hear from you, though -- if you have a member of the jury saying this was so disturbing i need counseling. >> oh, it's not a good sign at all, don. and you couple that with the defense attorneys even in their opening statements they had to admit that their clients made these statements. but they then told the juries disregard these statements. you have to keep in contex

in other news ausjerry finds the murderers of ahmaud arbery guilty of federal hate crimes. maud will continue to rest in peace but he will now begin to rest in power.— rest in power. and how scientists _ rest in power. and how scientists piece - rest in power. and how. scientists piece together rest in power. and how- scientists piece together the true enormity of the giant flying dinosaur of 170 million years ago. russia has been dealt a wave of new economic and financial sanctions that the west tries to head off a military invasion of ukraine. nato says there is evidence that russian troops are moving towards areas of eastern ukraine copy president biden has accused russia of a clear violation of international law and has announced financial sanctions. in just the last hour, japan has also announced new sanctions. vladimir putin ordered russian troops to be sent to eastern ukraine after recognising these regions, held by pro—russian rebels, donestk and luhansk. the areas highlighted in grey are zones already controlled by russian—backed rebels. our first report is from 0rl

but aren't these people -- and even, um, you know, the -- the -- ahmaud arbery hate crimes' trial.pted in a system even now that is refusing to even teach people about race, to talk about race, to -- um -- to -- to call people who try to bring light to it race-baiting. do you understand what i am saying? who don't want to confront the issue, even to bring it to a positive place. isn't -- aren't they caught up by that? they are victims of that -- of that system? >> yeah, in some sense. but keep in mind, any attempt to do away with critical-race theory means what? 1619 project number one on "new york times'" best-seller week after week after week after week. so we can use the various kinds of attempts to be narrow to continually broaden, deepen, universalize our vision and our efforts. it's just that we should never, ever be -- get so discouraged that we think all we do is just react to all of these vicious acts. no. we are taking off with vision, with power, with courage, with compassion, regardless. now, if -- if we end up -- if it ends up that america gets over and dissolves and i

only from gold bond. >>> three white men chased ahmaud arbery down because he was black. jury found his convicted killers guilty of federal hate crimes. cnn's nadia romero is outside the courthouse in brunswick, georgia. nadia, cameras weren't allowed inside. you were there. walk us through what happened as this verdict was read. >> dana, it was an emotional morning for sure for everyone involved. guilty on all charges that the three defendants were facing. and that wasn't a guarantee. so there was a lot of angst from ahmaud arbery's family who was wondering how this would play out. when the verdict was read, you saw the jury's foreman, the lone black male juror who was weeping when the verdict was read, so emotional. ahmaud arbery's family, the department of justice, the supporters all hugging one another, celebrating the verdict. on the other side of the courtroom was lee michaels. she saw her husband and son yet again be convicted on charges. travis and gregory mcmichael. she sat in the courtroom long after others left the courthouse. outside the courthouse we saw ahmau

ahmaud arbery -- anybody. and that's the difference here. >> do me a favor -- there was a technical glitch as you were speaking. i want the audience to hear. repeat what you said, please. >> what he said was i have a gun. i actually pulled out when i went to call the police when i saw ahmaud arbery. but i didn't chase after him with the gun. nor did i shoot him with this gun. i think the prosecution is showing here's a reasonable response. if you think someone is trespassing, call the non-emergency phone line and let the police do their job. opposed to what the others the defendants in this case did. so egregious in their acts. the prosecution is going to bring up the racial an mouse evidence. so graphic and so raw and so emotional. it goes to show as to why the defendants treated ahmaud arbery the way they did on that day. and the prosecution is saying it's because of his race. it was because of the color of his skin they chose to decide to treat him the way they did. and ended up dead. >> loud and clear. >>

ahmaud arbery killed two years ago and here we are, today, right now, with this hate crimes trial involvingmurder, you wrote a piece for an injustice magazine where you see here's the most telling thing about this case and most important moving forward. namely, we only know about the video because the killers released it. and they did this because they felt confident it would exonerate them. so, you know, you are underscoring that of what you wrote in the point that you just made. a comfort level and a feeling that you are in company of thinking and acting the same way. >> yeah. these guys thought that the video was exonerate them because they figured people would look at that and go, oh, well, that's a black guy and he's clearly up to no good and he clearly is charging us and attacking us because in their mind, that was aggressive behavior on the part of ahmaud arbery as opposed to a man who is scared trying to get away, trying to get a gun out of someone's hand. not to use it on them but so that he won't get shot. it's a perfectly rational reaction. but to them, because they've been encou

a jury decided the men who murdered ahmaud arbery did so because of his race. ing the way ahmaud left here, i knew that we would get victory on the state level and in the federal level. i knew that from day one. it was two years ago that ahmaud arbery was chased through a neighbourhood in which he was running close to his home. he was ambushed and shot dead. but though the police knew who killed him, no—one was arrested and charged for more than ten weeks and only after this video of what happened went viral. in a murder trial in november, father and son greg and travis mcmichael and their neighbour roddy bryan were found guilty of murder. now in a hate crimes trial, the evidence they exhibited a history of racism in the past, the killers' actions were deemed racially motivated. the us attorney—general said the only acceptable outcome would have been the victim returning safely to his loved ones two years ago. i cannot imagine the pain that a motherfeels... ..to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street. my heart goes out t

was ahmaud arbery killed because he was black?ll the evidence and the prism we see this through is yes. that is what the jury has to decide. it is not enough that they are racist. the question is, was he killed because he was black? so look, when you have a prosecutor and you have a prosecutor reciting the language utilized by your clients over and over and over again, that is going to years into the brains of the jurors. so the question is now, what can you do? the fact is, this is a very, very, very difficult case to defend. the defense is doing their absolute best they can with absolutely nothing and terrible clients at that. >> all the racist slurs. all the overt racism that was presented to the jury, mayor bottoms, what is the impact on a human being to hear that much in a courtroom over these days? >> well, you know, when you hear that there were 17 social media posts associated with disparaging words toward african americans, and then you look at how they treated ahmaud arbery after he was shot down, laying in the street, a

a us jury finds three white men who murdered a black jogger, ahmaud arbery — guilty of federal hate crimes will continue to rest in peace but he will now begin to rest and power. in other news — we have a special report from hong kong where the government has ordered compulsory testing for coronavirus. and — piecing together the huge wingspan of a giant flying dinosaur — a new discovery suggests they may have been far bigger than we thought. hello and welcome to the programme. russia has been dealt a wave of new economic and financial sanctions — as the west tries to head off a military invasion of ukraine. nato says there's evidence that russian troops are moving towards areas of eastern ukraine. president biden has accused russia of a clear violation of international law and announced new financial sanctions. vladimir putin ordered russian troops to be sent to eastern ukraine after recognising these regions, held by pro—russian rebels — donestk and luhansk. the areas highlighted in grey, are zones already controlled by russian—backed rebels. our first report is from orla guerin in easter

in other news, a usjury finds the murderers of ahmaud arbery guilty of federal hate crimes. ud will continue to rest in peace, but he will now begin to rest in power. and from toe to tail: how scientists pieced together the true enormity of the giant flying dinosaur of 170 million years ago. hello. a very warm welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. russia has been dealt a wave of new economic and financial sanctions as the west tries to head off a military invasion of ukraine. nato says that there is evidence that russian troops are moving towards areas of eastern ukraine. president biden has accused russia of a clear violation of international law and has also announced new financial sanctions. as has japan. they include targeting specific individuals. vladimir putin ordered russian troops to be sent to eastern ukraine after recognising these as independent states handled by the pro— russian rebels there. that is donetsk and luhansk. the areas highlighted in the grey of the south of those regions are already controlled by russian back to rebels. the y

the federal hate crimes trial against the three men convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery is under way in georgia. what we're hearing from witness eses this morning in court and why experts say the stakes in this case are sky high. and we're following breaking news. we just got a major announcement in a legal case between familiar lifts shooting victims at sandy hook elementary school and the gunmaker remington. the two sides have reached a settlement in that years long legal fight. we're watching for a news conference to begin at any moment on the settlement. we're going to begin today though with the latest, with russia and ukraine. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard edge s&l on the ground in southern ukraine. kelly o'donnell is at the white house and i'm joined by an msnbc international affairs analyst. kelly, we'll start with you and these international calls between lavrov and macron >> reporter: this gives the need for increased pace of contact leader-to-leader level. that's unusual. we can typically go months between phone calls between two presidents like this, and they

listen to ahmaud arbery's aunt talk about this moment, right now, as they wait. >> it is hard.r with, our family, her family, it is a rough ride. >> reporter: it is a rough ride and this is their second go around, right, because they already had the state trial where all three men were convicted, found guilty of murdering ahmaud arbery. they all face life in prison. this trial, bianna, they tell me is still very important to their family because they want to send a message to the entire world that if you're racist, you act on that, you commit a hate crime, you will be held accountable and tomorrow marks two years since the murder of ahmaud arbery. bianna? >> nadia romero, keep us posted on any developments and we'll come back to you. appreciate it. >>> closing arguments begin in the next hour in another high profile case, the federal trial of three former minneapolis police officers charged with violating george floyd's civil rights. during four days of testimony, defense attorneys called more than ten witnesses and including the three former officers, thomas lane, alexander ku

joining us, ben crump, the attorney representing ahmaud arbery's father.r joining us. you were there. take us in the courtroom, ben. what was it like for the arbery family as the verdict was being read? >> well, it was awfully emotional. his mother wanda wept. his father marcus had an audible outburst if you were sitting close to him, he said thank you, god. wolf, this has been a two year journey for them to get to this point where they can tell their son as they look up in heaven we did it, we got you justice. >> this case would never have been heard as you well know, ben, had it not been for the work of the arbery family. does the department of justice realize that, do you think? >> i think so. i think attorney general garland as well as his civil rights chief, they heard wanda cooper jones' words. she and mr. arbery are parents who are in a fraternity that no one ever wants to be in, but to watch your son lynched. remember, this was a lynching, wolf blitzer, a modern day lynching in 2020 of a young black man simply jogging and he was lynched for jogging

two years ago today, none of us knew of ahmaud arbery but two years ago tomorrow, his story shook the conscience of our nation and world. ahmaud arbery was lynched in broad daylight and today's verdict brings us one step closer to justice. what's your reaction to the verdict, joey? >> there's no question about that. good to be with you, kate and jeffrey. this was a case, kate, that may not have happened. we should recall there was a 74 day delay. two and a half months which led ultimately to the arrest of the defendants in this case. this was a case that the first district attorney noted, nothing to see here, issued a letter indicating they were acting because of a citizens arrest law and acted in self-defense, another district attorney who is under herself indictment for failing to uphold her oath in office and then you look at this actual verdict and it's a case that may not have occurred but for we heard wanda cooper jones, ahmaud arbery's mother say they fought and fought and fought. the reaction is that people who are not of goodwill, people who are going to be racially disparag

defendants were already convicted, serving life in prison now, because they were convicted of killing ahmaud arberyo that's why this case is so important. marcus arbery, the father of ahmad came out today and said there's going to be new evidence. they will present social media posts, text messages that show the defendants using racial slurs and likening black people to monkeys and less than human. they believe that that is why, and they killed ahmaud arbery. and the father of ahmaud arbery, marcus, says that new evidence is so important. take a listen. >> there's a lot of evidence the state had that they didn't put out like on the racial point. so the fed is going to bring all that. that's what we want the world to see. >> and you also heard the same thing from ahmaud arbery's mother as well saying that she wants all of the evidence presented. we just wrapped up opening statements for the defense and the prosecution, which means we have a full jury, something that happened this morning as well. you'll have eight white people, three black people and one hispanic. it was 11 to 1 white to black on th

in other news, a usjury finds the murderers of ahmaud arbery guilty of federal hate crimes. ud will continue to rest in peace, but he will now begin to rest in power. is climate change threatening to under 50 years of progress against poverty? we examine the latest research, and how it affects our health. and from time to tail. how scientists pieced together the true enormity of the giant flying dinosaur of 170 million years ago. thank you forjoining us. russia has been dealt a wave of new economic and financial sanctions as the west tries to head off a military invasion of ukraine. nato says there's evidence that russian troops are moving towards areas of eastern ukraine. president biden has accused russia of a clear violation of international law and has announced new financial sanctions. japan has also announced sanctions which include targeting specific individuals. injust the in just the last few minutes, scott morrison has added his name to that list, the australian prime minister. the position that they are dealing with is this, as we can show you on the map here. pres

. -- ahmaud arbery.nd here, white jurors admit that racism played a role in the killing of these young men. there is something deeper. it is not just a question of critical race theory. it is the question of dealing with and having to accept that racism has been at the core of much of our existence. >> ms. walker, mr. jackson was talking about how truth is essential to history, and you are the problem of black conservatives for truth. how are you seeing this whole debate around banning books on race, the banning of discussion of books on race, playing throughout the u.s.? ms. walker: i think it comes to the forefront because of all the social uprising we have had over the last two years since the pandemic, with george floyd, with our ahmaud arbery -- with ahmaud arbery. when it comes to crt and the banning of those types of books, it is important to understand that crt is not actually taught, at this point, in the classroom, in elementary, middle, or high school. the theory of crt is somewhat complex and

and really the world because many people saw that viral video of the killing of ahmaud arbery.will come back to the courthouse behind me to begin their deliberations for day two. and before they were dismissed by the judge last night, they were given very strict instructions, they can't talk to themselves about the trial that's going on, they can't talk to anyone else. they're not supposed to look on social media or do any independent research until they come back to the courthouse and convene again. and that's why those closing arguments by the prosecution and the defense were so important. their last-ditch effort to convince the jury to see this case their way. the prosecution says that all three defendants were fixated on race. that they used racial slurs throughout their text messages and social media posts and during those one-on-one conversations with those 20 witnesses the prosecution brought forth. they want the jury to believe this is all about race. but the defense says the men were simply fixated on stopping crime in their neighborhood. that they believe that ahmaud

coverage inside ukraine, russia, and beyond >>> also, the three white men convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery are found guilty on all counts in a federal hate crimes trial his mother talking to us how she reacted. >>> back-to-back storms on the move danger on the roads. nearly 100 cars in massive pileup cleared in oregon. al roker tracking it all. >>> two blackhawk choppers crashing during a training exercise in utah incredibly, no crew members injured. >>> the historic victory for u.s. women's soccer stars in their battle for equal pay. how it levels the playing field. >>> and the singer we first met after she moved the "america's got talent" judges to tears. tonight, the tributes pouring in for her and her enduring message of hope. ♪ it's all right to b lost sometimes ♪ >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening, everyone president biden is calling provocative russian moves in eastern ukraine the beginning of an invasion here's where we are as we come on the air tonight -- america combat aircraft in europe are being redeployed into eastern europe it's a move

interference with ahmaud arbery's civil rights.eed that they chased him and captured him and killed him because of the color of his skin. that was the allegation made in the indictment, essentially. that this was happening because of his race. it wasn't a matter of whether or not they killed him or not, it was a question of motive. now, we're going through five different counts. we're up to count two. and that refers to the defendant, william brian. and i think we're about to hear the result of that, as well. but we're going through it person by person. there are five counts altogether. roughly eight decisions have to be made. so the first count, count one, the mcmichaels are both guilty. and that charge, that conviction carries a possible life in prison sentence with it. sentencing, of course, will come at some other time. and of course, we know that all three of these men were convicted in state court of murder and face life in prison. william brian is the only one who faces the possibility of parole after 30 years. but they are

that's the two-year anniversary of ahmaud arbery's death. janet shamlian, cbs news, brunswick, georgia. >>> turning now to the pandemic and some positive signs that we're continuing to move in the right direction. the seven-day average of daily new cases in the u.s. has fallen to just over 1,000. that's according to the cdc. while still high, it's the lowest we've seen since early december and significantly less than the peak of omicron. meanwhile in england all remaining covid restrictions are being scrapped including people who test positive remain self-isolated. england has the immunity to get back to normal. >> it is a reminder that this virus has not gone away, but because of the efforts we've made as a country over the last two years we can now deal with it in a very different way, moving it from government restrictions to personal responsibility. >> some scientists are warning the british government that lifting all restrictions could make it difficult to monitor and track covid. >>> and an american doctor who helped provide free heal

the family of ahmaud arbery was firmly against this, too. >> it's disrespectful. i fought so hard to get these guys in state prison. it's very disrespectful. >> reporter: ahmaud arbery's family says these men deserve state prison, which happens to be the place where the u.s. department of justice is currently investigating whether this state does enough to protect prisoners from other prisoners. the judge in this case is asking the men if they still want to plead guilty. if not, jury selection begins a week from today. david? >> all right, steve osunsami in georgia. thank you, steve. >>> now, to the tragic death of a former miss usa, cheslie kryst, here in new york city. a lawyer and a tv correspondent. what authorities have now revealed and what her family is saying tonight. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: tonight, the investigation into the death of former miss usa cheslie kryst revealing she jumped from a new york city high rise sunday morning. the medical examiner stating she died by suicide. according to authorities, kryst was last seen on a terrace on the

finally, justice for ahmaud arbery. >> i think it was justice beyond ahmaud arbery because of the nature of these hate crimes trials. it's a rare occurrence, right, that the federal government is moving for it on the hate crimes charged. and that it succeeded. it felt bitter then this one case, right. and i think that you sense the weight in history. it bears mentioning that this was never supposed to happen. the justice department has secured a plea deal with the defendants. and it was ahmaud arbery's family that really insisted that the sort of generating force and getting this to trial. can you talk a little bit about that and what it was like for the family fighting, not just the injustice of society, the slaughter of their child, but the justice department and not wanting to have a plea deal, wanting to see this trial -- wanting to see this go to trial? >> absolutely. they wanted to have them have the most punishment possible. and the fact that law the, prosecutors were concerned that it's so difficult to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, what's the intent in their mind was. so they w

skyler henry reports. >> reporter: ahmaud arbery's family raised their arms in victory tuesday. >> ahmaud will continue to rest in peace, but he will now begin to rest in power. >> reporter: a federal jury found racism motivated three white men to chase down and kill 25 -year-old ahmaud arbery while he was out jogging two years ago. defense attorneys for travis and gregory mcmichael and william "roddie" bryan tried to argue the men believed arbery was involved in criminal activity. but the jury sided with prosecutors who said the men were driven by racial assumptions, racial resentment, and racial anger. 20 witnesses testified, some claiming they'd heard the mcmichaels make racist statements. text messages and social media posts with the "n" word were also introduced to establish a history of racist views. the defendants sought a plea deal before trial, but the judge rejected it after arbery's family opposed. >> what we got today we wouldn't have gotten today if it wasn't for the fight the families put up. >> reporter: attorney general merrick garland >> i cannot imagine the pain that a m

ahmaud arbery's family raised their arms in victory after this verdict. a jury ruled the men killed ahmaud arbery out jogging 3 years ago because he was black. the defense tried to argue that the men believed he was involved in criminal activity, but the jury sided with prosecutors saying the men were driven by racial resentment and anger. >> he will continue to rest in peace, but he will now begin to rest in power. what we got today we would not have gotten today if it wasn't for the fight that the family put up. >> i cannot imagine the pain that a mother feels to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street. >> the verdict came months after all three men were convicted of murder in a georgia state court and sentenced to life in prison. >>> new video captures the moment a car crashes had long into a police cruiser. the driver was on the wrong side of the road. this happened last week in wisconsin. and officer and dispatcher were taken to the hospital for minor injury. the driver of the other car was arrested for drunk

ahmaud arbery should be alive today. thank you. i will take a few questions. >> if i may switch years to ukraine, what can the department of justice do to help the biden administration with the situation in ukraine and i have a follow-up. attorney general garland: the justice department has law enforcement and intelligence responsibilities and we are members of the national security council. that's all i can say about it. >> there are reports that there are videos coming from that part of the world that are fake, doctored. does the justice department have a responsibility to legally investigate something that could change the outcome? you are briefed on some of this stuff. attorney general garland: we have for many expressed concern about maligned influence and without referring to them in specifics, the justice apartment does have a role but that is all i can say for now. >> you mentioned at a press conference after the verdict that essentially justice was served because of the family pushing in court to have a judge reject the pl

. >> you've been listening to the family of ahmaud arbery alongside attorney ben crump reacting to the verdict of the three men found guilty of federal charges, hate crime charges in arbery's death. nbc's ron allen joins me now from outside the courthouse there in georgia, also charles coleman, a former prosecutor, civil rights attorney and nbc news legal analyst, and david nakamura from "the washington post" will join us, too. he's covered this trial extensively. ron, take us through the charges. what does it mean for the men already convicted in state court? >> reporter: the jury reached their verdicts in about three hours or less. we were shocked this morning that they had just begun the deliberations and the next thing we're hearing they had a verdict. they did this very quickly, and it was a unanimous verdict, up and down the five counts, guilty on all charges. the charges that carry the biggest penalties of prison sentence, possibility of life in prison, is the interference, violations of ahmaud arbery's civil rights which is essentially the charge associated with him, hunting hi

what was the chasing of ahmaud arbery, the pursuing of ahmaud arbery, the cutting off of ahmaud arberytted in the neighborhood, these were people who were the defendants i'm talking about, who were concerned about the neighborhood, who felt that this construction site was being visited repeatedly by someone stealing things, they were wrong inasmuch as it was not ahmaud arbery but relied upon those things. they did not rely upon racism. they did not rely upon chasing down because he was african-american. that's the argument that the defendants are making. the issue though, bianna, is whether that resonates, whether that's compelling enough. now, the defense, to your final point i'll make is they did not testify. but they did, how? because the remarks that they made, the social media imprint, the text messages, everything else were their words and those words hit the jury and the jury has to decide whether those words with respect to what the defendant's values, beliefs and really their thought processes is that connected to what they did on this day, i think the prosecution certainly br

all three men are currently facing life sentences for the murder of ahmaud arbery leading some peopleoing forward. the attorney for arbery's family for this take with the reverend al sharpton last night. >> i applaud the suitable rights division leader in the department of justice, kingston clark for having that conviction to say, based on the evidence, based on the evidence we have to have this lynch mob convicted of federal hate crime laws for ahmaud arbery, who was jogging while black. >> host of the sunday show, this was already an interesting trial of the first time it happened. but this federal trial is definitely going to get a lot of attention. it gets more to the heart of the matter than a criminal trial does. >> oh, absolutely! seeing those text messages, ali. hearing the comments that they have made. i completely can fought about the confederate license plate. hearing all of this evidence. ali, if it looks like a dark and it sounds like a duck, it's probably a doc. i know that isn't how the law works by, come on! if ever there were examples of someone who is perhaps, bent w

the number on your screen. >>> a verdict in the federal hate crimes trial over the killing of ahmaud arbery three men already convicted of murdering arbery found guilty today of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping. the trial putting their racist text messages, social media posts and conversations on full display. joining me now is wanda cooper-jones, ahmaud arbery's mother, and mark maguire, attorney for ahmaud arbery's family. thank you both for joining us. miss cooper-jones, i'm so happy that you're here. i'm honored that you're here. and watching you today was just amazing. how are you feeling? >> i'm exhausted, but i'm thankful. >> yeah. the evidence in this case was damning. it took the jury just a little over three hours to determine the three men pursued and murdered your son, sadly, because of his race. how are you feeling tonight about the verdict? >> again, very thankful that the doj presented the case very well and they came out with a very good verdict. >> yeah. you know, this trial almost didn't happen. and really it happened because of you. you pushed back after the justice d

like i said, ahmaud arbery is irreplaceable. he was killed.tice. our correspondent peter bowes has the details. during the original trial, the actions of these three white men were characterised by prosecutors as a modern day lynching. they were all found guilty of the murder of ahmaud arbery, a black man who had beenjogging down the arbery, a black man who had been jogging down the street. they were sentenced to life in prison. they were also due to face a federal hate crime trial, which is due to staff this week, but it emerged on sunday that prosecutors had reached an agreement with two of the men, gregory and travis mcmichael. that agreement included an acknowledgement for the first time from these men that they had in part been chasing ahmaud arbery down the street because he was black, and the prosecutor said that this was an important step towards justice. this was an important step towardsjustice. as this was an important step towards justice. as part of this agreement, it was stipulated that they would serve some 30 years in federal p

can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com . >>> now to the murder of ahmaud arberyeral hate crimes trial after closing arguments wrapped up. three white men have been convicted in the state trial of chasing down and killing arbery in georgia two years ago but all pleaded not guilty to federal charges that they acted on racial motivations. today the prosecutor arguing quote this wasn't about trespassing, this wasn't about neighborhood crimes, either. it was about race. racial assumptions, racial resentment and racial anger end quote. the defense arguing their clients weren't motivated by hate but merely had suspicions arbery committed a crime in their neighborhood. the men already faced life in prison but a hate crime conviction would provide significant accountability for the murder of a black man but the murder of a man because he was black. we'll be right back. a man becaue was black. was black. we'll be right back. with fewer pills than tylenol. instead of taking pills every 4-6 hours, aleve works up to 12-hours so you can focus on what matters. aleve. less pills

in one text message by travis mcmichael, remember, he's the one who actually shot ahmaud arbery.liked his new job, he says it was because he didn't work with black people. quote, they ruin everything. that's why i love what i do now. not an n-word in sight, unquote. in another instance he responded to a video where a black man put barbecue sauce on a white man's head as a prank, responding, i'd kill that f-ing n-word. he repeatedly described black people as monday kkeys and sava and even commented under a video of black lives matter protests that he wished for a semiautomatic gun to shoot them. meanwhile, his daddy shared racist memes, claiming in one of them that white irish slaves were treated worse than anybody in the u.s. but that they aren't asking for handouts. their accomplice, william roddie bryan, the neighbor, you remember, he regularly used slurs and mocked martin luther king day, at one point referencing it as a monkey parade. i want to bring in cnn legal analyst joey jackson, and i do repeat, that was but a sliver. joey, in the grand endeavor to pursue justice in the

has come out of these individuals mouths and back then and wet has happened during a trial for ahmaud arbery not it. the trial has just begun. >> i guess i wonder when prosecutors choose not to prosecute a case for he crimes, how much does the component of the jury have to do with that? you know in the murder trial of ahmaud arbery the jury had 11 white people in one black person. do you think that's the reason they chose not to go down the road of focusing on race and not trial? or do you think it's something else? i mean, we can also talk about the fact that the bar is so high. is that not a blind spot in our legal system that it's hard to prove a hate crime? >> well let's look at what's happening in the state of georgia. back then, the state did not have a hate crime. we were one of eight states that does not have hate crime protections or to be prosecuted, so even while the racists that would happened was racist, there was actually no recourse for that district attorney to charge them with a hate crime which is why it's so important for the federal government to look into this under the

in one text message by travis mcmichael -- remember, he's the one who actually shot ahmaud arbery. to a friend on why he liked his new job, he said, it was because he didn't like black people. quote, they ruin everything. that's why i love what i do now, not an n-word in sight, unquote. in another instance he responded to a video where a black man put barbecue sauce on a white man's head, responding, i would kill that fing n-word. he described black people as monkeys and savages and commented under a black lives matter protest video, he wished for a semiautomatic gun to shoot them. his dad claimed white irish slaves were treated worse than any other race in the u.s. but that they aren't asking for handouts. their accomplice, william "roddie" bryan, he regularly used slurs and at one point referenced martin luther king as a monkey parade. that was but a sliver. in the grand endeavor to pursue justice in the form of a hate crime, they're off to a heck of a start from the prosecution. do you think so? >> yeah, without question, laura. always good to see you and be you. the bottom line

closing arguments are under way of the federal hates crime trial for the three men that killed ahmaud arberyracism, and the prosecutor told the jury today the defendants were driven by hatred when they chased and shot arbery when he jogged through a subdivision two years ago. they face life sentences if they are convicted on top of the life sentences from their state trial. joining me now, blaine alexander in georgia, and civil rights attorney. what did we hear in today's closing arguments? >> reporter: right now we are hearing the final words in the case. the final prosecution the government is giving its rebut annual, and we heard from all three defense attorneys and after this case wraps up this case goes to the jury. the three men already were convicted of the murder of ahmaud arbery. the three men on trial, it was argued, are vigilantes and they took the law into their own hands, and a number of witnesses came forward and digital pieces of information came forward to show they made racist remarks about black people and the government is making the connection and saying that shows they c

home this evening, the guilty verdict in the federal hate crimes trial of the three men in the ahmaud arbery case. all found guilty of violating arbery's civil rights. here's steve osunsami. >> victory! >> reporter: ahmaud arbery's family and friends are raising their arms in victory tonight, they wanted the federal trial for this reason -- the jurors here have now made clear that the three men who murdered their son are also guilty of killing him because he was black. >> i give all glory to god and we got justice for ahmaud. >> reporter: tomorrow, it will be two years since his murder, seen here in disturbing cell phone video that's made its way around the world. even the u.s. attorney general today was getting emotional. >> i -- i can not imagine the pain that a mother feels -- to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street. >> reporter: the jury convicted the three murderers of multiple federal hate crime charges. the charges of interference with rights alone, the main civil rights violations, could get the three men additional life sentences. all thre

like a rat -- >> that hurt. >> it's painful. >> reporter: state officials have declared tomorrow "ahmaud arberyay," now and forever. his mother says the timing of this verdict is special. >> ahmaud will continue to rest in peace, but he will now begin to rest in power. >> reporter: the family says their road to justice doesn't end here. they're planning civil lawsuits against these men. before today, there was no chance that two of the men were ever going to see the light of day from a state prison. after this latest verdict, that punishment could spread to all three. david? >> all right, steve osunsami who has been covering this case from the start. thank you, steve. >>> we're going to turn now to this dangerous one-two punch hammers the country. snow, ice, flooding, and then bitter cold and tornado alerts. tonight, 100 million americans in the path of this from california all the way to the east. let's get to ginger zee tracking this again for us tonight. hi, jing every. >> reporter: hi, david. we just got a brand new tornado watch from jackson, mississippi, up to huntsville, alabama, that's